Mercy for Animals animal cruelty group had a huge break in their investigation of mainstream egg supplier Eggland’s Best.

Just like most animals, hens like to stay clean. They do this by using their wings to pass dust from the ground through their feathers, shaking the dust off, and then repeating. This “dust bathing” prevents oil buildup, skin irritation, and disease.

Although chickens are highly social animals, they also like their privacy. When ready to lay eggs, most hens prefer to be solitary nesters. This is driven by the hens’ instinct to hide their eggs from predators.

Chickens are highly intelligent animals with excellent memories. Studies show chickens can recognize the faces of up to 100 individual birds. Like dogs, chickens have even been known to learn and respond to their names.

The following video shows thousands of birds packed into filthy wire cages, hardly able to move without crawling over other birds. Severely sick and injured birds are left to suffer and slowly die without proper veterinary care, and the bodies of dead animals are seen rotting in cages with live birds still laying eggs for human consumption. Workers violently rip birds out of cages by their wings or necks and throw them on top of each other in trash cans to be gassed to death.